


The King's Beard

by Lost_in_the_Woods_Somewhere



Category: Kingdom Hearts (Video Games), The King's Beard (2002)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, It's not relevant I just really like that tag, M/M, Roxas and Sora Are Twins (Kingdom Hearts), Sora Is a Ray of Sunshine (Kingdom Hearts)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-03
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-13 21:14:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28534959
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lost_in_the_Woods_Somewhere/pseuds/Lost_in_the_Woods_Somewhere
Summary: When Riku set out for the Kingdom of Scala Ad Caelum, he had expected to start a wonderful new life running his own barber shop. But upon arriving, he finds that the people there refuse to cut their hair, in honour of King Eraqus whose beard covered the entire Kingdom.Now, instead of his perfect new life, Riku has to figure out what to do with his useless barber shop, while finding himself somehow embroiled in stopping a dastardly plot that would see Scala overthrown.And on top of that, he also has to find a way to deal with his newfound crush on a very pretty fairy, who was having an even worse few days then he was...Kingdom Hearts AU based onThe Kings Beard(2002)
Relationships: Riku/Sora (Kingdom Hearts)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 19





	1. Prologue

The walk back down to Xehanort’s chambers was always long, and twisty, and boring, but at least it beat having to go all the way up. Whenever he went up to the surface, it reminded him of just how dark and dank it was down here, but with today’s task fulfilled, that shouldn’t be a problem much longer. So Xigbar amused himself with the knowledge of a theft well done, twirling the wand he had swiped around his fingers, and marvelling at the untapped potential inside. Taking the thing hadn’t been too hard. After observing the twins he figured that the blonde was a dead end, but all he had to do was wait for the little brunet to be distracted helping someone and bingo. 

He rolled his eyes as he descended the final flight of stairs and saw his master, brooding by the window trying to look intimidating. To who? The only other things in the room were the meagre amount of heartless he had managed to hold onto when the last wands power went out. 

“Did you get what I asked for?” Xehanort asked without turning around, as if that was somehow impressive.

“Yep, swiped it straight from a fairy’s pocket” Xigbar answered, giving the wand another twirl for good measure.

“And the fairy themselves?” Xehanort asked, turning now to face him and looking less pleased than Xigbar had expected.

“The boy didn’t have a clue, if that’s what you’re worried about” he answered, handing the wand to his master. Xehanort turned it in his hands, expecting every detail.

“What I’m worried about” he said eventually, “ is that you’ve brought me a perfect wand, but didn’t bring me the fairy that goes with it”, and Xigbar could tell that under his even tone, he was angry.

“Hey, all you asked me to do was to get you a wand and I delivered” he shot back. 

“Quite so, but without the fairy himself, this wand is less than useless”. 

“As if! You seemed to figure out the last one just fine”!

“Don’t play dumb with me”! Xehanort shouted, causing the heartless around him to shudder in fear, “that had taken months, and its power was mediocre at best. No, I need all the power of light I can get from this wand now, and to do that I need the fairy”!

Xigbar took a step back, giving his master a moment to cool down.

“Hey, look, it’ll be fine okay? The pretty little thing’s dumb as rocks, get him away from his brother and I’ll have him here in no time”, he said, and Xehanort frowned.

“Then I suggest you get to it, and get it done fast. You know what happens to fairies who lose their wands”. 

* * *

This was it.

The most important moment of Riku’s life so far.

He loved his home, and there was no doubt that the Destiny Islands were stunning, but they were also stifling. He needed to get away, to start anew and see the world. And there was no better news for a young man just going out into the world that there was a very cheap barber shop going in another kingdom, particularly one who had grown up with the profession. It was perfect, almost too good to be true!

So that was what brought him here, to the kingdom of Scala Ad Caelum. 

The island of Scala was indeed as impressive as he had been told, standing lone and proud, and stretching towards the sky. From the other side you could see it's reflection in the water, which had apparently given it the nickname of the ‘mirrored city’, or at least that was what the man who sold Riku the shop had said.

Yes, sailing across the water to his new kingdom, his new life, this truly was the most important moment of Riku’s life so far.

So it was just a shame that the most important moment of his life so far was currently being ruined by the boatman laughing in his face.

“THE BARBER SHOP! YOU BROUGHT THE BLOODY BARBER SHOP, HAHAHAHA” he howled, and Riku could feel his face heating up.

“What’s so funny?” he asked, aware that he was pouting, but not caring. The man didn’t answer his question though, just continued laughing.  


And he continued to do so for the rest of their short trip across the water. 

Even as Riku was walking away towards the kingdoms ornate white gates, the man was still laughing. He was beginning to think that maybe that was just what the man did? What would be so funny about buying a barber shop anyway? Yeah, sure, he just had an unfortunate first encounter, that was it.

This was all going to be fine.

(If he had been concentrating, Riku might have noticed that the boatman had the longest beard he had ever encountered. But he wasn’t, so he didn’t, and he consequently missed out on his first clue.)


	2. In Which Riku Makes a Discovery

When Scrooge McDuck came to the Destiny Islands and told him about the shop he had for sale, Riku had walked away from the meeting believing that Mr. McDuck was not only a savvy business man, but a trustworthy one too.

It had taken Riku about five minutes into his new life in Scala to figure out that he had been very, _very_ wrong about that. 

The first thing that Riku noticed when he opened the gates was hair. Lots of hair, silver, with strands of black running through it. 

And it was everywhere. 

It wrapped itself around buildings, covered streets, and it all seemed to originate from what he assumed was the royal palace that stood majestically and hair-covered-ly at the top of the hill. 

Mr. McDuck hadn’t mentioned _that_ when he was signing the paper work.

Feeling very weirded out, and with hair at the forefront of his mind, he found himself looking at the hair of those he passed by.

And was concerned to find that everyone had lots of it.

As a barber by trade, the sheer amount of hair around him should have made him giddy at the prospect, but instead it left a bad feeling in his gut. Had the last barber shop been out of commission for so long that nobody could get a haircut? Or was it something else...?

As he walked through the streets, he found himself getting more lost by the minuet. He had of course been sent a map by Mr. Mcduck, but the map didn’t include the parts where you couldn’t pass through for hair, or mention that said hair covered most of the street signs. So he eventually had no choice but to walk up to the nearest person, (who had _a lot_ of hair actually, wow) and ask for directions.

“Umm, could you tell me where Scrooge Mcduck’s Barber shop is”?

“Why would you want to know that”? the woman asked, looking up at him with squinted, scrutinizing eyes. No, not at _him_ , at his _hair_.It’s short length did stand out quite a lot against everyone else, and he almost wished that he had kept it long for such an occasion, the fact it was getting in his eyes be damned. 

“I’ve just brought it”.

“Oh. What are your plans for it?” she asked, and Riku raised an eyebrow at her.

“I’m planning to run it as a barber shop? It looks like you could use one around here” he answered with a nervous giggle.

The woman didn’t say anything for a moment, just squinted at him again, as if she was trying to understand his entire existence with her gaze.

“You’re, you’re not being serious?” she finally asked, and that uncomfortable feeling in his gut churned again.

“Well, yes”.

She paused for another moment.

Then began to howl with laughter.

“YOU WANT TO SET UP A BARBER SHOP, HERE?” she shouted through her tears, which alerted everyone around them.

“A barber shop?” someone else said, while others started to laugh. Within a few seconds, the whole square was laughing at him.

“Hey, what’s so funny” he shouted, but the crowed carried on laughing, giving him a horrible case of déjà vu.

“Will somebody please explain to me what’s going on?” he shouted, and the woman in front of him finally seemed to compose herself.

“Oh darling, don’t you know? We’ve got no use for a barbers 'round here” she answered through her giggles. 

“Why not?” he asked completely baffled. Why would a whole town not cut their hair?

“Because we want to be like the King of course”.

Oh, sure of course.

Wait what?

“King Eraqus has the longest, most majestic beard the world has ever seen” the woman explained, and the crowd around her started to nod.

“It’s so incredible” a woman from the crowd shouted.

“We could only wish for beards to be so long” another man added, and soon Riku was being bombarded with comments on just amazing this guys beard was.

“Wait” Riku said, then turned to the crowd, “so let me get this straight. Nobody here will cut their hair because your king has a really long beard?”

The crowd shouted back various affirmatives.

“So you see, I don’t know what old Scrooge told you, but you won’t find anyone in this town going to a barbers for anything!"

* * *

After she had stopped laughing, the woman finally took pity on him and directed him towards the shop. It ended up being hidden down an alley that had been closed off behind a thick curtain of beard, standing all alone on a little peak that over-looked the town. 

The shop almost looked as if someone had tried to make it look rundown, complete with boarded windows, a whole in the roof, and spider webs covering every surface. The only thing that didn’t seem to be damaged was the pair of large, novelty scissors the hung above the doorway, but that was rather a moot point. The inside was a little better, and at least looked like it had once been a decent barber shop, but everything was so old and worn it would take ages to restore it to working order. So that felt like sort of a moot point too. 

Thankfully, the living quarters weren’t actually that bad, so after some heavy duty dusting Riku collapsed into bed, ready to put this whole affair behind him for the night. 

As he tried to drift off, he thought of home, of everything that had lead up to this day. He had never considered himself unkind or mean-spirited about it, but good lord had he been cocky. He thought of how he had been in those last few weeks, the way he had been so proud of the business deal he had made, and wasn’t he so clever for it. He acted as if he was already the world’s most successful barber just for securing the place.

Tiddus, Wakka and Selphie would never let him live it down if he had to tell them the truth. 

Kairi would be even worse.

He thought of his best friend too, of how sad they were to leave each other, but so excited to go out into the world. He wondered how she was getting on with her new life in Radiant garden. 

Thinking finally of the rundown, useless shop he had put all his hopes and dreams into, he could only hope that she was doing a whole lot better than he was...

* * *

The next morning, as Riku woke up and realised it wasn’t a dream, he decided that at the very least he needed to get some supplies in. Thankfully he had brought a cloak with a hood, as Scrooge McDuck, bastard as he was, had pointed out that it was ‘much colder there laddie than what you’ve been accustomed to’. He had no wish to go out and be recognised as the idiot who brought the barber shop. 

The hood did nothing of course, and it seemed that news travelled even faster than he expected in this kingdom. Every merchant he went to, every person he saw either giggled under their breath or straight up laughed in his face. So not only did he have a business with no customers and barely any munny left, he was also the biggest laughing stock in the entire kingdom, and he had only arrived yesterday afternoon. 

How, just how could this get any worse?

* * *

Riku didn’t actually know how he ended up in this cart, hurtling down hill at high speeds.

Later, he might have been able to deduce that the combination of his hood, and not being accustomed to looking out for beard that was trying to trip you, had tripped him, and dumped him in that conveniently placed wheeled cart that had teetered precariously at the top of a hill. 

But at this point in time, all he really knew was that his life had devolved into a complete and utter mess.

With no way to stop, he was reduced to yelling at people to get out of the way, and for the most part they did. 

For the most part.

“Hey, get out of the way” he called out again, but he was too late, suddenly there was another young man in the cart with him, clinging on to him for dear life.

“What”? the man asked, but Riku only got a short glance at pair of big blue eyes before both men were flung from the cart as it hit a curb, landing in a heap inside one of the houses.

Now he had come to a halt, Riku hoped that that was the end of things.

Then the house exploded.

Not literally of course, but it seemed that whatever they had hurtled into had set of a multitude of mini fireworks that cracked and banged all around him. It was only when he got himself up and saw the pile of books next to him turn into a duck with a hat on, that he realised it wasn’t fireworks they had set of.

It was magic.

Growing up on the Destiny Islands, Riku hadn’t seen much magic, though he knew it existed. But Scala was known for it, and he had to admit it was one of the things that drew him to the place.

“Ow” said a voice from below, and Riku turned to see the young man he had run into, still on the floor in a heap. 

“Oh, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to, are you okay”? he rambled, offering the man a hand to help him up.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Thanks” he answered. 

Getting a proper look at him, Riku finally noticed a couple of things. First, he saw those eyes again, as big and blue as the ocean. Then, he noticed that the man didn’t have particularly long hair, though it was a bit all over the place. From there he finally noticed two ears that came to little points at the end, and a pair of delicate translucent wings that had a soft red hue.

“You’re a fairy” he blurted out, then immediately felt his check go red.

“Sorry, that was probably really rude, it’s just I’ve never met a fairy before, and it was just kind of a shock – sorry no that came out wrong, I just mean-“

“Don’t worry about it” the man said, cutting him off with a giggle, “my names Sora, and yes I am a fairy”.

“I’m Riku” 

“Nice to meet you Riku”, and Sora smiled. 

Then he looked around the room.

“Ahhhh, Roxas is gonna flip if he sees the shop in this state”.

Riku looked around and found that the place was indeed a state. There were draws open and upended everywhere, little multicoloured spheres littered the floor, and it seemed a few things had broke as well.

Oh, and the book-duck was still waddling around.

“Wait, is this your shop?” Riku asked.

“Yep, welcome to Oathkeeper and Oblivion, for all your magic needs” Sora said with a smile, opening his arms wide and gesturing to the room around him. As he continued to look, his smile and arms slowly dropped until he was hunched over in defeat. 

“This is going to take ages” he muttered, and Riku’s stomach churned with guilt. 

“Sorry about that, please, let me help. It’s the least I could do, since it was me who managed to both run you over and ruin your shop”.

“Okay, thanks a lot. But speaking of that”, and Sora tipped his head to the side like a puppy , “what were you doing flying down the road in that thing anyway?” 

“Honestly, I can barely remember. The last 24 hours have just been one absolutely horrendous blur”.

“What happened?” Sora asked, looking genuinely concerned for him, and Riku felt every frustration bubble to the surface, happy to share his misfortunes with a sympathetic ear. 

“Okay, so this is going to sound really stupid but ... well you see I came here to start a new life, you know, go out on my own and make something of myself, get off my tiny little island. And I knew, well I didn’t know, but I should have known that the price was just too good, but I thought maybe it’s just some good luck, but no I’m an idiot, and instead of everything I wanted, I have nothing, and-“

“Riku, what happened?” Sora asked again, cutting him off mid ramble, and giving him an encouraging smile.

Riku felt his cheeks go warm again, all of a sudden loath to admit it out loud.

“Ibroughthebarbershop” he mumbled.

“Huh?” Sora said, tilting his head again, now looking like a confused puppy. Riku sighed, and took a deep breath.

“I brought the barber shop” he said, this time loud and clear.

Sora’s eyes went wide.

“The barber shop”? Sora asked, and Riku could tell he was trying _very_ hard not to laugh.

“Yes”.

“You, um” and he giggled, “You brought the barber shop”? He giggled again.

“Yes, we have established that I’ve brought the barber shop” Riku said, trying his best not to pout, but failing miserably once again.

“Yes, sorry, ha, it’s just, have you – I mean, heheheh” and Sora broke off, unable to contain his giggles anymore.

“If you’re trying to ask me if I’ve found out that nobody in this kingdom cuts their hair then yes, I have. Hey, stop laughing, this is serious”, but even with how horrible this situation was, there was something about Sora’s soft little laugh that was infectious, and he couldn’t help but let out a small giggle himself.

“Sorry, hehe, sorry I shouldn’t laugh at you” Sora said, wiping tears from his eyes, “ It’s just, it’s ... never mind”, and as his laughter died down, a sort of melancholy coming over him. 

“What is it”?

“It’s –Oh! You haven’t seen a wand around anywhere have you? Silver, with a little crown on it like my necklace?” 

“No, I haven’t, sorry”.

“Oh, that’s okay”, but something seemed to deflate further in the boy, and Riku could tell there was more to it. There was a tension in his smile he couldn’t hide.

“Is there something wrong”? he asked.

“Oh, um, it’s just, losing your wand is very dangerous for a fairy, if I don’t get it back ... sorry, I shouldn’t be bothering you with this” Sora answered, making a move to start cleaning , but Riku placed a hand on his arm to stop him.

“Sora, what will happen?” he asked, trying to keep his tone firm but sympathetic. Sora looked away, as if contemplating his answer, then looked back at him, bright blue eyes wide in fear.

“If I can’t find my wand, I’ll fade away. Like our mother did...” 

Fade away?

And Riku thought _he_ had problems.

“Sora that’s, that’s horrible. If there’s anything at all I can do, please, just ask”.

“Thank you, Riku. I’m sure it will be fine, I’ll find it somewhere! But still, thanks” he said, with a tired smile. Even with everything happening, Riku thought Sora’s smile was beautiful. In fact everything about Sora was beautiful. And then heat rose to his cheeks again and he squashed that thought down, because nope, now was _definitely_ not the time for that. 

“What a day we’re having, huh”? Sora sighed, with another soft, tired little giggle. 

“I guess. But I think your definitely winning in the shitty day department”.

“Oh I don’t know” Sora said with a smirk, “I mean it is pretty embarrassing to be the guy who wants to open a barber shop in a kingdom where no one cuts their hair. I’m glad it’s not me, that’s all I can say”.

And Riku finally laughed his first real laugh all day.

“You will also be in the unenviable position” Sora added, gesturing to the general calamity around them, “of explaining to my brother why our shop looks like this if we don’t get it cleaned up soon”. 

“Then we best get too it”.

And for the first time since arriving, Riku thought that maybe it wouldn’t be so bad here after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to anyone reading this and joining me on this little journey! you are very much appreciated!


	3. In Which Riku Has an Encounter

The process of reorganising the shop had actually turned out to be quite a nice experience, even though Riku felt he wasn’t really being that much help, and had to ask where every item he picked up went. But Sora was patient, and for all his boisterous energy, had a gentleness to him that Riku found soothing.

It turned out that what Riku had thought were little spheres were actually spells, with each colour denoting a different effect. 

“They’re really sensitive, so it’s probably best not to drop or step on any” Sora had told him.

After thinking back to the book-duck (that Sora had reluctantly turned back into books by throwing a purple sphere at it), Riku had decided to handle them with the utmost of care. 

“Um, where do the yellow ones go again?” he asked having already forgotten, even though he was sure Sora had only told him a few minutes ago.

“Third row down, any of the first three on the right” Sora answered, at least not sounding annoyed about being asked again if he was. 

As Riku opened what he thought was the correct draw, he was greeted by what appeared to be some kind of animated plush animal.

“What’s this?” he asked, taking it out of the draw to get a better look at the little cat? Dog? 

“What’s this?” and Riku did feel a little bad as he flung the thing into the air, but he hadn’t expected it to _talk_. Thankfully, Sora had quick reflexes and caught it in his arms, immediately snuggling the thing to his chest.

“Sorry about that”, and Riku was less suspired when the thing parroted the words back to him.

“It’s alright. This is Meow Wow, he’s a Babble” Sora said, snuggling his face into the thing.

"A Babble?” Riku asked.

“A Babble” Meow Wow confirmed.

“Yep, they can’t speak for themselves, but they can repeat the last thing they hear. And they’re just so cute”.

“They’re just so cute” Meow Wow repeated and wow, yeah, that was cute.

Sora set him down on the counter, and the little Babble waddled over into the basket of knitting that had been placed there, snuggling into the fabric. Then the fabric began to levitate, floating a few feet above the counter with Meow Wow settled contentedly on top.

“Umm, is you’re knitting floating?” Riku asked, knowing full well that it was floating, but feeing the need to ask anyway.

“Yep, I’m experimenting with floating clothes” Sora replied, as if it had been a completely normal question. 

“Oh, cool” was all Riku could say, still utterly fascinated with seeing magic used so casually. 

They were about half way through their task, Riku quite happy with the way his horrible day had turned out, when-

“What the hell happened here!?" Someone shouted from the doorway, shattering both the lovely afternoon Riku was having with Sora, and the orb he had been holding as it fell from his hand. 

(He couldn’t remember exactly what the green ones did, but at least it hadn’t _seemed_ to do anything bad.)

“Hi Roxas, sorry things are still such a mess, we’ve had quite the afternoon” Sora said, seemingly unperturbed at the interruption.

“We?” The voice asked, and Riku took that opportunity to turn around. The man standing in the doorway was undoubtedly Sora’s brother, the family resemblance hard to miss. 

And the fairy wings. They helped too.

“It was my fault” Riku said, and Roxas gave him an appraising look.

“And who are you? I don’t remember seeing you around here before.”

“I just moved here yesterday, the names Riku”.

Roxas looked him over again, eyes narrowed as if he was contemplating something. 

“Roxas. So how the hell did you manage to wreck our shop?”

Riku winced. He had absolutely no desire to try and explain _that_ mess.

“Well you see-“

“Wait” Roxas said, his eyes going wide, “You’re not the guy who just brought the Barber shop are you?” 

Oh joy.

“Yeah, that’s me” Riku sighed, waiting for the inevitable.

While Sora had politely tried to hold his laughter in, his brother did no such thing.

“Like seriously, did you do any research before you came here?” Roxas howled.

“Mr. McDuck made it sound like a good idea” Riku mumbled in response, and Roxas only laughed harder.

“Roxas don’t be mean” Sora admonished with his own little giggle, and Roxas began to pull himself together.

“Ha, sorry. You really are the talk of the town though” Roxas said, smirking.

Then he frowned.

“That still doesn’t explain what happened to our shop” he added, and Riku grimaced.

He was just going to have to go for it, wasn’t he?

“I was walking home and well, I tripped and landed in a cart that started rolling downhill, which then ran into Sora -”, and Riku almost faltered as Roxas glared at him, “- then we crashed into the shop”.

Riku stood, feeling awkward and self conscious as Roxas looked him over again.

“Seriously? That sounds ridiculous” he answered finally, looking so unimpressed that Riku felt his cheeks go red in embarrassment again.

“Yeah, well that’s what happened”, he huffed, his tone coming off a little more defensive than he had intended.

“He’s been helping me clean up” Sora said, and Riku hopped that would help sooth him. But instead of relaxing, Roxas now looked concerned.

“You’ve been manually cleaning up? Why didn’t you just use magic?” he asked.

“Oh” and Sora shifted, a hand coming to rub the back of his head, “well you know how it is” he answered. 

Something in the atmosphere changed after those words. Riku could see Roxas go visibly tense as he turned his scrutiny onto Sora. But unlike the harsh gaze he had given Riku, his eyes now looked full of concern. 

“Sora? Something’s wrong isn’t it?” Roxas asked. 

“Why would you say that?” Sora answered, not at all hiding the little nervous tremor in his voice. 

“Sora” Roxas said, more firmly this time. 

“Okay so, I sort of, might have ... lost my wand.”

“Lost it? Since when?” Roxas all but shouted, his eyes going wide in fear, and Riku didn’t think it looked as if body could possibly tense any further. 

“Since yesterday afternoon” Sora answered with a wince.

“Yesterday?” he actually shouted this time, and Sora could only nod in response.

The atmosphere was tense as Roxas simply stood there, and Riku felt that he was interrupting something he wasn’t supposed to be a part of.

Then something shifted again, and to Riku's surprise Roxas turned to face him. 

“Hey, Riku you don’t know anything about this do you?” he asked, and there was something accusatory in his tone that Riku hadn’t expected. Like Sora, Roxas was a good head shorter than he was, but that didn’t make it any less intimidating as he glared up at him.

“What do you mean by that?” he asked. 

“I just think it’s a little suspicious that you apparently turned up yesterday, the same day my brother’s wand went missing, and you just happened to crash into both him and our shop today”.

Wait, what? 

“What are you trying to say, that I took it? What use would I have for a wand” Riku asked, completely taken aback, and not a little angry at the accusation. 

“Well you said it yourself; you’re the idiot who brought a useless shop. Maybe when you found out, you thought you’d steal a fairy wand to get you out the mess you’d made”.

“That’s ridiculous-“

“Then you realised the wand wouldn’t work if Sora wasn’t there to release its power, so you stage this little run in, make out like your his friend, then steal him away to drain him of his magic”.

“Roxas, please-“

“Well you’re not going anywhere near him” Roxas shouted, “Stay away from my brother and get out of my shop!”

“Fine” Riku shouted back, turning to leave.

“Riku, please don’t-“, but Riku didn’t listen, not sparing the shop another glance as he stormed off.

* * *

“Roxas, what was that for! Riku didn’t do anything!”

“How do you know that? You barely even know him! You can’t just trust every stranger you meet!” Roxas shouted back, then stopped himself, taking a deep breath. Anger wasn’t going to solve anything, and whatever Riku had or hadn’t done wasn’t the issue here, and they both knew it. The anger began to seep from his chest, settling in his stomach as worry and fear. 

“Sora” Roxas began, his tone shifting into something more serious, “you know you don’t have long to find your wand, right?”

Sora’s shoulders tensed; a flash of fear coming over his face, before he seemed to shake it off.

“Yeah, I know. But I’m sure it’ll be around here somewhere, you don’t have to worry”.

Sora was doing that smile again. It was soft and bright, and there was absolutely no truth in it. It wasn’t that Sora trivialised things, or that he wasn’t a genuinely positive and happy person. It’s just that he had this tendency to look on the bright side so as not to worry other people and distract himself from how he was actually feeling. 

But Roxas was his twin brother. 

He knew when Sora was pretending to be okay.

“Of course I have to worry, it’s my job. You might fool other people, but you don’t fool me. It’s okay to be scared about this”.

Sora didn’t say anything for a moment, then lunged forward and pulled Roxas into a hug.

“I’m sorry” Sora mumbled into his shoulder, and Roxas put his own arms around him, giving a little squeeze. 

“It’s okay, I get it. But you know you don’t have to face things like this alone because you’re scared of worrying me, right?”

“Yeah I know. Thank you” Sora said, squeezing back. 

They stood like that for a moment, before Sora finally mumbled “I’m really sure Riku didn’t do anything. It was nice cleaning up with him. It took my mind off things”. 

Roxas frowned. If Sora had a tendency to bottle things up and cover them with a smile, then Roxas had the tendency to let out whatever he was feeling whenever he felt it, regardless of the consequences. 

“Yeah I know. I’m sorry I blew up like that”.

“No, it’s fine Roxas” Sora said, finally looking up at him with a smile “You were only looking out for me. I should have told you what had happened earlier”.

“Still, I guess I should go apologise to him later” Roxas sighed, having no wish to see Riku any time soon after _that_ encounter.

“Thank you” Sora replied, with that look in his eyes that said he knew exactly what Roxas was thinking, “I’m sure he’ll appreciate it”.

“Unless he actually did steal your wand, then I’m kicking his ass”.

“Roxas” Sora admonished, but he was giggling, the good kind of giggle that meant Sora was feeling better.

“Do you want to keep cleaning?” Roxas asked, even though they both knew he could just wave his own wand and put everything back. But Sora needed the distraction, and honestly Roxas did too. He wanted to believe that everything was going to be okay, but the reality of the situation still sat uncomfortably in his stomach.

“Yeah, that would be nice” Sora replied, giving him once last squeeze before untangling himself from Roxas’s arms.

“Think you’ll still be up for our meeting with the king tomorrow?” Roxas asked, and Sora smiled. 

“Of course! We’re really close this time I can feel it!”, and despite everything Roxas had to smile too. 

“Then we better get too it”.

* * *

Riku had stomped his way back to the shop, not giving any care for who he was bumping into, and cursing everything.

Stupid town, with their stupid king, and stupid hair, and their stupid, pretty fairy whose stupid brother was the worst of the lot. 

By the time he had made it back to his useless shop he had cooled down considerably, and as he stood in the dusty parlour, he finally cursed his own stupid self.

Just when he thought he had found something worthwhile in this town, he had to go and ruin it by getting into a shouting match with his brother. And by the way he had accused him; it would be a miracle if he was ever allowed to go near Sora again. And would Sora even want to see him again? He had been asking him not to leave, but instead of stopping and talking things through like an adult, Riku had ignored him, choosing to stomp off like an impudent child instead. And despite still being angry at the accusation, the rational part of his brain knew that Roxas had only been trying to protect his brother, and all Riku did was make things worse.

He was so stupid.

He would have to go and apologise at some point, but he couldn’t face that right now. So he would try to put Sora and his beautiful smile out of his mind, and focus on other things until he had the confidence to face the mess he had left. 

Like what he was going to do with this stupid barber shop.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter wouldn’t really do what I wanted it to, but I hope it’s still okay! The conversation between Sora and Roxas also kept getting away from me, but what can I say? I just think their neat.


	4. In Which Riku Enacts a Plan

If you were to ask him, Riku would never claim that this had been a rational idea (even if at one point he thought it was a good one). But, it was the only idea he had so he was sticking to it.

You see, as he racked his brain over the problem, (and tried not the think of Sora’s smile, and his big, beautiful blue eyes that reminded him of the pristine oceans of the Destiny Islands), he kept coming back to the same thought.

The people in this town never cut their hair because the King didn’t.

So, the only logical step from that was to assume that the whole town would suddenly _start_ cutting their hair if the King _did_.

But how was he going to convince the King to cut his beard?

The answer was, he wasn’t.

He was just going to go cut it off himself.

So that was how he found himself on his way to sneak into the royal castle after being a citizen here for just under 48 hours. Strapped across his back were the large pair of prop scissors that had once hung above his shop door, and he could only pray that he had sharpened them enough for the task at hand.

The closer he got to the castle the thicker the layer beard became, and soon he was wading through it. The sensation was similar to wadding through the sparkling waters of the Destiny Islands, (that beautiful blue sea that looked exactly like Sora’s eye’s- Nope! Not going there again!), but it was far thicker, and became more impassable with each step. Thankfully though, once he got to a certain point the path became clear, and he found that he had simply not seen the pathway that had been cleared for people to pass. 

(In his defence, he _was_ very new, and it _was_ dark.) 

The castle stood at the very top of the kingdom, large and imposing. Or at least, it should have looked imposing, but the effect was tempered by the beard. Said beard covered most surfaces, and most noticeable cascaded out of the front entrance, the two large ornate front doors swung open as beard filled the space they would usually guard. 

And speaking of guards, it seemed that the ones on duty were less ‘guards’ and more bodies at the door, as both lay fast asleep as Riku approached. No, what was truly guarding the door was that stupid beard, so thick that he would never be able to navigate it without help. 

So, another way then. 

He looked up towards to see if the windows would be of any help, and found a couple close by that had been kept open as beard flowed out of them, perfect for climbing. Riku did feel briefly concerned at how lax the security was on this royal residence, but quickly remembered that it benefited him, and went back to his task. The climb up wasn’t too hard (despite the giant pair of scissors on his back), and soon he was on the ledge. By another stroke of luck, the window had been attached to the King’s throne room, complete with the King inside it. 

Looking for a way to get to him, something else caught his eye. It seemed that, rather than have guests wade their way through the beard, there was a walkway suspended by ropes that was built across the hall, the end of which directly faced where the King sat. How one got onto it without climbing though the window, Riku didn’t know, but it was a clever idea none the less. 

He managed to climb his way onto the walkway, keeping his footsteps as light as possible as he moved towards where the King sat, hunched over, head lolling in sleep. Seeing him up close, he didn’t look quite as old as the silver of his beard suggested, but he did look tired and worn, his mouth pulled down into a frown as he slept. And that was understandable, the chair couldn’t have been _that_ comfortable, and the sheer amount of beard must have made it hard to move from that spot. From what he could tell, it seemed that the King was entirely confined to this room.

There was no way he could have _chosen_ to live that way, right? 

But Riku didn’t have time to speculate on such things. He had a job to do, and he had to do it before doubt got in the way, and he actually thought about what he was going do too hard.

So he removed the scissors from his back, and took a large section of hair between the blades.

This was it.

He brought the scissors down.

And nothing happened.

Huh.

He tried again, bringing the blades down with more force this time.

Nothing. 

Okay, so maybe trying to cut through the whole thing at once wasn’t the best idea. He would try with a smaller section, just a few strands.

Nope.

Okay, maybe it was where he was trying to cut it. If he started lower down...?

Still nope.

Perhaps it _was_ the scissors that were the problem? It had seemed like a genius idea when he was sharpening them in his shop, but then, this whole thing had seemed like a good idea back then. He took out the pair of normal sized scissors he had brought just in case, and cut into a tiny section.

Absolutely nothing. 

Why? Surely both pairs of scissors couldn’t have been that blunt. So why weren’t they working? 

There was a small part of him that already knew this endeavour was futile, that whatever was happening here was beyond his understanding. But his stubborn streak won out, the little voice that told him to keep going, that if he could just find the right strand the whole thing would unravel. So he kept going, moving up and down the beard, just trying to find the right angle that would cut it.

About fifteen minuets had passed before Riku decided that what he doing wasn't going to work.

Maybe he was coming at it from the wrong side? It went against every bit of logic and knowledge he had about hair, but it had to be worth a go. The only way to get to the other side of the beard was to go through it, so he took a large step forward. But instead of finding ground beneath him, his foot hit nothing, sending him tumbling forwards and straight into the beard. Rather than getting tangled up in an endless sea of hair, however, he passed straight through it, landing with a thump. When he opened his eyes, he found himself below the beard, in some sort of room that reminded him a little of a pillow fort, but made out of beard instead of blankets. 

He lay there for a moment, listing out for any sign he had woken the King with his fall. But when a minuet had passed and there was no sound of movement, he decided he was probably safe.

Getting himself up he saw a light behind him, coming from a lamp on a little desk. Going over to inspect it, he found it littered with various books and writing materials. Could this have been the King’s? Given the space created by the weird beard fort, it may have been possible for the King to make his way down here. Yes, behind him there was a set of stairs leading from the throne, this must have been the King’s. 

Looking back the other way, he noticed that the ‘room’ had an opening at the other end, and he walked forward to get a better look, wary that his only light source was behind him. As he reached the opening, he could see that the beard had created tunnels that went off in two directions, but without another lamp he couldn’t make out what was down there. 

Huh.

Turning back to the light, Riku noticed that something was poking through one of the bearded walls, as if someone had tried to hide something but had done a really bad job. Sliding it out, he saw that it was a painting that showed two men, one sat upon the throne, the other standing beside him. The one on the throne was most definitely the king, but he was missing one major feature.

The beard. 

Sure he had a small moustache and goatee, but nothing like the kingdom covering beard he currently sported. He also looked slightly younger, and far more healthy, his posture straighter, his smile wide. Perhaps it was just the way it was painted, but if not for the clear facial similarities, you would almost wonder if this was a different man altogether. 

Next to him stood another man, with silver hair much like Riku’s own, who looked less pleased to be there (but that also could have just been the fault of whoever painted it). He wondered who the man was, but more so he wondered how the king went from this, to where he was now.

Perhaps he would find out more wherever those tunnels lead...?

Riku considered his options. On the one hand, the un-cut-able beard, and the tunnels bellow it were mysteries that were just begging to be explored. But on the other hand, Riku had only come here to cut a beard, and that had already taken well over the 10 minuets he thought it was going to. He was tired, unprepared, and more than likely to get caught if he didn’t make a decision soon. 

Tomorrow. He would come back tomorrow night better prepared, and have a proper look around.

As his plan was set, there was a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach, something that told him that whatever was going on here wasn’t his business, that he shouldn’t get involved. But his curiosity and the need for adventure that still persisted from his youth were stronger, so he pushed those thoughts away.

Tomorrow then. He would come back tomorrow night and figure out what the hell was going on here. 

Or he would try to, at least.

* * *

Sora was tired. 

He knew that losing his wand would inevitably catch up with him, and it was only going to get worse from here if he didn’t find it. They had already spent the morning checking over the shop and house again, and had asked around a couple of places, but eventually they had to set off for their meeting with the King. So he hid a yawn and followed behind Roxas as quickly as he could, knowing that they were already late. 

They reached the castle doors to find Dilan waiting for them, looking less than impressed. Aeleus stood on the other side of the doorway, face impassive as ever, but Sora always managed to make him crack a smile. 

“You’re late” he heard Dilan say, as he waved and grinned at Aeleus, who looked at him stoned faced for a few seconds, before the corner of his mouth twitched upwards.

Success!

“Yeah, well sorry about that, we had a few things to sort out” Roxas grumbled beside him.

“It was my fault, sorry” Sora said, and Dilan gave him that ‘I-don’t-even-want-to-know-what-you’ve-been-up-to-now’ look, before pulling back the large door to reveal the hole in the wall that would lead them up through the castle and into the throne room.

“Thanks” Sora said, giving another wave as he followed Roxas through. 

“Oh”, and Sora backtracked, poking his head back out through the hole, “umm, nobody’s handed in a wand at all have they?” he asked, and Dilan and Aeleus shook their heads.

“Sorry, no. We’ll keep an eye out though” Dilan replied, his expression seeming to soften a little, and Sora smiled.

“Thanks, you’re the best!” he said, before turning back and jogging down the corridor to catch up with Roxas, who was already at the door that would lead them to the walkway.

“You okay?” Roxas asked.

“Yeah, I was just asking Dilan and Aeleus about my wand. No luck, but they’ll keep an eye out”.

Roxas frowned, 

“Well, it’s something at least” he said as he made his way through the doorway, and Sora tried his best to hide another yawn, before following him. 

* * *

“Good afternoon Your Majesty” they said together, giving a small bow as they reached the end of the walkway. 

“We’re sorry about being late. How are you doing today?” Sora asked, and Eraqus sent him a withering look. 

“The same as ever, Sora, and the same as I will be until this curse is lifted and I’m rid of this infernal beard” he snapped, and it was all Sora could do not to flinch.

“Sorry”, he mumbled, even though he could feel Roxas seethe next to him.

“He was just being nice” Roxas snapped back, and Sora braced himself for the Kings reply. But rather than berate him, Eraqus just sighed and rubbed at his temple.

“You are correct, my apologies Sora. But you are late, and I hope you have something to show for it”.

“Yep. We’ve been working on modifying the shrinking spell we tried before” Sora replied, and Roxas reached into his bag to pull out two bright pink orbs, “we think the last few just weren’t powerful enough, so hopefully these ones will be!”

“Hmm, it sounds promising at least. Well, anything is worth trying so, go for it” the King replied, not looking particularly confident in their idea. And who could blame him, after the string of failed attempts they had already left behind. 

Roxas handed him one of the orbs, and with a nod to confirm it, they threw them towards the king, aiming just right so as to hit only the beard and nothing else. The two spheres burst with a pretty little light show, which was followed by a sudden flash of light that had them covering their eyes, and when it disappeared the beard was glowing a soft pink. 

Huh.

It had _never_ done that before.

The three men waited in anticipation, and Sora looked over to Roxas, who seemed just as shocked as he was.

Could this be it? Had they really done it?

But then the glow faded, leaving the beard exactly as it was.

* * *

“Argh, I really thought that would work!” Roxas groaned as they made their way back into the town, throwing his hands into the air in frustration.

“Yeah, I thought so too. But it did something at least! We were really really close that time, I can feel it”! 

Roxas frowned. 

“You always say we’re really close”. 

“Yeah, but today I said we’re really _really_ close, so that’s even closer”! Sora replied, and Roxas chuckled. He was glad he could make his brother laugh, but in truth he was feeling frustrated too. He was sure that formula should have worked. They had been putting power into the spell since their last meeting, and they even put an extra boost into it last night.

Well, Roxas did. 

Oh. 

“I’m sorry, Roxas” Sora said, stopping short, “If I hadn’t lost my wand we could have put more power into it, then it might have worked”. 

“Hey, don’t think like that” Roxas said, putting a hand on his shoulder, “it’s not your fault. We have no idea why it didn’t work, but we’ll keep at it. We’re going to get it eventually”. 

“Yeah your right. Thanks, you’re really good at cheering me up Roxas” Sora replied with a smile, and Roxas smiled back.

“Same goes for you”.

Sora smiled again, before he remembered why he needed cheering up in the first place. 

“I guess I should get back to asking around for my wand before everywhere closes”.

“Yeah, probably should. I just need to go check on something in the shop, and then I’ll come join you, sound good?” Roxas asked, and Sora nodded.

“Yeah, I’ll probably go back to the market area, so you can meet me there. Thanks Roxas”.

Sora watched Roxas go and sighed. All he wanted to do was to go home and sleep the rest of the day away, but he knew couldn’t give up. He considered where to look, trying to think where he hadn’t checked. Maybe he had dropped it in the street and someone had given it in to one of the places he hadn’t gone to that day? It wasn’t much to go on, but it was something!

“Hey there kiddo, heard you were looking for a wand” a voice said behind him, and Sora spun around, eyes going wide in excitement.

“You’ve found one? Silver, with a little crown on the top?” he asked.

If Sora had not been so desperate, he may have been more cautious (though hadn’t Roxas just told him yesterday he was too trusting?). There was something, _unsettling_ about the man now that he had gotten to look at him, but whatever unease Sora had felt was washed away as the man reached into his pocket and pulled out his wand, just the same as when he had lost it.

“Bingo” he said, and Sora bounded over to him.

“Oh, thank you so much, I’ve been looking everywhere, where did you find it”? Sora asked, reaching out to take his wand back.

The other man said nothing, and instead grabbed Sora’s outstretched wrist in a vice grip, causing him to yelp in surprise.

“Well, why don’t you come with me and find out? There’s someone who’s very eager to meet you” the man said with a smirk, and with a flash of pink smoke Sora’s earlier exhaustion increased tenfold. He had no strength to pull away from the man, instead falling further into his grasp as his knees gave way and a strong arm held him by the waist. His eyelids slid closed, and in his last moments of consciousness, he felt himself be picked up...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh, the Sora and Roxas section got away from me again, I just love writing them! Thank you again for reading, sorry this chapter took a bit longer!


	5. In Which Riku Makes an Even Worse Discovery

Riku decided to leave just as night began to fall, hoping that being at the castle as soon as the guards and King fell asleep this time would give him the most time to explore. The streets were mostly empty as he walked up towards the castle, but he still tried to walk with the confidence of someone just going about their business, not planning to sneak into the royal castle at all, why would you think that?

Just in case anyone got the wrong idea.

Still, he couldn’t help but jump when someone called out his name, turning around only to find Roxas of all people running towards him.

“What do you want?” he asked, his tone probably harsher than necessary. If it was, then Roxas didn’t seem to notice.

“Have you seen Sora anywhere?” he asked.

“No I haven’t, is something wrong?”

“He told me he was going to ask around about his wand, I only left him for five minutes to check on the shop, but that was two hours ago and I haven’t seen him since” Roxas said, and maybe it was just his imagination, but there was an edge to his tone that just got under Riku’s skin.

“What, you think I have something to do with that as well?” He snapped back, immediately regretting it. He knew it was stupid, knew he should have just apologised, that Sora’s safety was far more important than whatever residual anger he had with Roxas, but he couldn’t help it.

Before he could even think about apologising, Roxas rounded on him.

“Look I’m sorry that I accused you like that, but could you stop it with the shitty attitude for a second? Sora could literally die if he doesn’t get that wand back, and now he’s gone missing. I wasn’t just making shit up when I accused you of trying to kidnap him for his wands power” he shouted.

Then he sighed, and Riku watched the anger drain from his body, fatigue settling across his face.

“I don’t have time for this, just, keep an eye out okay” he added, and began to walk away.

Guilt settled heavily in his stomach, and before Roxas could get too far, Riku called out to him.

“Hey, Roxas, I’m sorry alright. And I’m sorry for acting like I did back then. I like Sora, a lot, so it hurt to be accused like that, but I know you were just looking out for him. So I will too, okay?”

Roxas looked at him for a moment, before giving him a tired smile.

“Thanks, I’ll hold you to that. Ahhh, who knows, maybe I’m just being paranoid? I might just keep missing him, or perhaps he’s at home wondering where _I_ am, and I’m wandering around like an idiot”.

“Well, it doesn’t hurt to be cautious. Anything you need just, let me know okay?” 

“Okay” and Roxas began to walk away. 

Riku sighed, the thought that Sora might truly be missing weighing heavily on his mind as he made his way towards the castle. Once there, he settled behind a curtain of beard to wait for his opportunity to sneak in. It only took about half an hour before the guards were asleep, and Riku felt that concern again for the castle's security (or lack thereof). But it served him well, and within a few minutes of climbing the same length of hair he had the night before, he was on the windowsill again. The King was already dosing, and Riku moved with as much speed as he dared down the walkway. Knowing what was waiting for him made the process of climbing down much easier, and soon he was back in the beard-fort. The little lamp was still shining, and the books looked as if they had been moved and used, but other than that it was exactly as he had left it. 

He reached into his bag to bring out the lantern he had brought with him, and readied himself to explore further. 

“Let’s see what’s down here then” he mumbled, and began to move forward. 

“Let’s see what’s down here then” and Riku screamed, near jumping out of his skin at the new voice. The voice screamed back, and Riku looked frantically around for the source. He almost screamed again when he came face to face with... 

“Meow Wow?” 

"Meow Wow”, Meow Wow confirmed much too loudly, and Riku put his hand over the Babble’s mouth, shushing him. He waited for a moment, hearing a slight shuffle, but nothing else. 

(If nothing else had gone right in the past few days, at least the King was a heavy sleeper...) 

“You need to be quiet, okay?” he told the Babble, and Meow Wow nodded his head.

“You need to be quite, okay” he whispered back when Riku finally removed his hand.

“Yeah, that’s much better”.

Now that he had calmed down, he could take in the situation a little better. Like the fact that Meow Wow was … floating? But how, he was sure the thing couldn’t fly before. Wait, was that... 

“Sora’s knitting?” Riku asked, looking at the familiar blue fabric that surrounded the little Babble. 

“Sora’s knitting!” Meow Wow confirmed, performing a little flip in the air. It seemed that he had burrowed himself into an unfinished jumper sleeve, and was now using it to float around, though Riku wasn’t sure why. 

“What are you doing down here? Are you looking for Sora too?” he asked, and Meow Wow looked sad for a moment before nodding. 

“Are you looking for Sora too”. 

(Meow Wow hadn’t phrased it as a question, and Riku knew he was only repeating what he heard, but it still made him feel uncomfortable inside) 

“But what are you doing here with me? I don’t think you’re going to find him down here boy”. Meow Wow tilted his head, repeating the words back to him, and Riku sighed. It was hard for the Babble to get his intentions across when he couldn’t use his own words. 

“Well, you’re free to stay with me if you like. I don’t think you’d get far down these tunnels without a light. But you have to stay quiet, alright?” 

“You have to stay quiet alright” Meow Wow whispered back to him, and Riku smiled. 

Maybe a companion as he traversed these dark spooky beard tunnels wouldn’t be such a bad idea.

“Okay”. 

The tunnels were larger than they had seemed in the dark, becoming wider as he walked through them. After a few minutes of walking, they also seemed to get lighter, to the point he no longer needed his lamp to navigate. There was no immediate explanation for why this was, so Riku simply filed it away under ‘things I don’t understand, but are part of my life now I guess’. 

“Well hi there; we don’t often get guests down here!” 

Riku jumped, supressing another scream, and looked around for the source of the new voice. 

Who the hell _else_ was down here? 

“Oh, sorry to frighten you pal, I’m down here” the voice said again, and Riku looked down to find... 

A mouse. 

Huh.

“The names Mickey, pleased to meetcha” the mouse said with a wave. Feeling a little rude, Riku crouched down so he wasn’t towering over him. 

“Umm, I’m Riku. Nice to meet you too” he said, waving back. 

“So, not to be rude but, what are you doin’ here?” 

How to explain _that_ one? 

“Well, I kind of, found myself down here yesterday, and I just wanted to find out more about this place” Riku answered, hoping he hadn’t been too vague. 

The little mouse clapped his hands and laughed.

“Well, we’ve been living down here for years; we know plenty about this place. What do you wanna know pal?" 

Oh. 

Well that was easier than expected. 

“Umm, do you know what the story is with this beard? I know it’s definitely not normal, so something had to have happened, right?” 

“Well you’re just in luck! We love putting on productions down here, and the story of The Kings Beard is our favourite. Come on, let me show ya”.

The little mouse scurried off, and Riku had to almost jog to catch-up. He hadn’t quite understood where he was being led to, did the mouse say production? Whatever it was, it seemed that someone had answers, and he would take whatever he could get at this point. 

“Hmm, I don’t think all of you is gonna fit, but you might be able to poke ya head through!” Mickey said, running through one of the walls of hair that parted for him like curtains. Riku turned to Meow Wow, who had been floating diligently by his side. 

“Umm, I’m gonna check this out so just, stay out here okay?” 

“Just stay out here okay” Meow Wow replied, and Riku smiled, glad to be getting used to the Babble's odd way of communicating. 

Riku crouched down on the floor, and stuck his head through the beard, hoping he had picked the right spot. Mickey had been correct in his assumption that only his head and shoulders would fit, as the beard opened up onto a little room that had been constructed to look like a theatre. Right in front of him, the beard had been placed in such a way as to make tiered seating that eventually lead down to a large hardback book that he guessed was the stage. The room seemed to be lit by overhead lamps, rather than whatever mysterious source lit the outside tunnel. He sat and watched as dozens of mice scurried around, preparing for the performance or taking their seats. On the little make-shift stage, he could just about make out two mice arguing with each other. 

“Ah phooey, why do I always have to be Xehanort?” one of the mice grumbled. 

“Ahh, cause you play ‘im so well Donald” the other, taller mouse said, giving him a pat on the shoulder. 

“Ah what do you know ya big palooka”, and the mouse stomped off, grumbling to himself the whole way. 

“Garwsh”. 

After a few more minutes the over head light dimmed, and Mickey came out onto the stage. 

“Hiya pals, and welcome to tonight’s performance of The King’s Beard”, he said and the crowed all cheered. 

“Thank you, haha. Reprising the roles of Xehanort and Eraqus are my good pals Donald and Goofy, with music performed by the House of Mouse Orchestra, and conducted by my Minnie”. The crowd cheered again for each announcement, seemingly familiar with the little theatre group. Mickey then moved across to where another set of books stood, just a little higher than the stage. The mouse conducting the orchestra tapped her baton, and they began a low, sombre tune.

“Tonight we bring you the tale of the noble Kings Eraqus “ Mickey said, and the crowd cheered as the taller mouse that he guessed was Goofy came onto the stage, waving out to the audience. He settled himself on a makeshift throne that had been made from a broken tea cup. 

“And his treacherous twin brother, Xehanort”, and the grumpy mouse, Donald, came onto the stage to a chorus of boos. 

Riku could see why he had been so grumpy. 

“Hmm” the mouse playing Xehanort grumbled, “you sit on that throne, thinking you’re King! Why couldn’t I be the King?” 

“Ahhh Xehanort, you know I’m the older twin, and that means I’m the King. That’s always how the kingdom’s worked”. 

“Well I don’t care about any of that nonsense” and ‘Xehanort’ crossed his arms and tapped his foot. 

“Well neither do I really. Hey, here’s something, why don’t we rule together! Wouldn’t that be fairer, a’hyuk?” 

“Rule together? Ha, I don’t want to rule _with_ you, you big palooka”. 

(Riku thought that perhaps some creative licence had been employed when writing the script) 

“Why not?” 

“Because there’s only one throne, and only one crown. Our relationship has always been give and take. You give, and I take! I don’t want to _share_ your throne; I want you to _give_ me your throne!" 

The crowd all booed, and the mouse playing Eraqus suddenly looked angry. 

“No, I’m gonna put my foot down Xehanort”, he shouted, “I’m not just gonna give you this throne!” 

This time, the crowd cheered. 

“Ahh, you selfish tyrant” Xehanort shouted back, “fine, if you want your throne so badly, you can be bound to it forever!” 

The little spotlight went off for a second, and when the light came back the mouse playing Eraqus was now sporting a large beard, the Xehanort mouse nowhere to be found. 

“From that day” Mickey began “Xehanort was banished from the land, never to be seen again. But his curse remained, binding Eraqus to his throne by a beard that could never be cut. And as we tell this tale, the King still waits on his throne for the day the curse may be lifted”. 

The lights went down, and all the mice clapped and cheered, becoming even louder when the lights came back up and the actors and Mickey took their bow on the stage. 

Riku clapped as best as he could in his current position, out of politeness, but inside he was reeling. 

The beard was cursed. 

The beard couldn’t be cut. 

His one plan was useless, because the beard was cursed and couldn’t be cut. 

What the hell was he supposed to do now? 

He shuffled back and leant against the beard wall, watching all the other mice leave the little theatre, not knowing what else there was to do. Meow Wow had waited like he had asked, and floated around him, tilting his head in the same way Sora had when he had been confused or concerned. 

“I’m okay boy, I just need a moment”. 

“Just need a moment” Meow Wow repeated, floating down until he rested in Riku’s lap. Riku smiled, patting him on the head, even more glad for the company now. 

“So, did that help to explain things for ya”, and Riku turned to see Mickey looking up at him. 

“Yeah, it did actually” he answered, trying to sound at least grateful for the information. 

But Mickey frowned, signalling that he had failed at that too. 

“Hmm, something tells me this wasn’t the answer you were looking for”. 

“No, it defiantly wasn’t” he huffed out, then winced at his tone, “sorry, that’s not your fault, it’s just …sorry”. 

“Do you want to talk about it”? Mickey asked, and Riku thought about it for a moment, before shaking his head. 

“I’d rather not if that’s okay? I feel like I’ve already had to explain myself so many times recently. Sorry” he answered, and Mickey smiled. 

“Ahh, that’s okay pal, whatever makes you feel better!” 

“Thanks Mickey” and Riku paused for a moment, before a question came to his mind. 

“There is something I’m wondering about though. If Xehanort was able to use magic, can’t the King as well, you know, to try to undo it?” 

“No, as far as we’re aware. I don’t think anyone even knows where Xehanort got the power to do that in the first place”. 

(Something about that bothered him, as if his mind was trying to connect two dots, but he didn’t know where the other dot was, or why they were even linked) 

“So there’s really no way to cut the beard?” he asked, unable to give up the fight just yet. 

“Nope. There are two fairies from the town who are working on the problem though, so who knows, maybe one day!” 

“Fairies? Are their names Sora and Roxas?” Riku asked. 

“Yeah I think that’s them. You know ‘em?” 

“Yeah, I’ve met them”, and Riku frowned as his thoughts went back to Sora, hoping he was okay and that Roxas _had_ just been paranoid. 

Mickey looked like he wanted to ask more, but Riku was grateful that he didn’t. 

“Well, if there’s anything else I can do for you, or if you ever feel like visiting, I’ll be here pal” he said instead, and Riku smiled. 

“Thanks a lot Mickey.” 

“Any time! Well, see you pal”, and Mickey walked back through into the little theatre, leaving Riku and Meow Wow alone in the corridor. 

Riku leaned back against the wall again, and closed his eyes as he pat Meow Wow on the head. He would have to move soon, he knew, but he wanted to enjoy the quite for just a little longer. 

After a few minutes, a noise to his right broke the peace, and as Riku opened his eyes he screamed. 

There was a creature he had never seen before in front of him. It had a pitch black body, sharp brown wings, even sharper looking claws, and a pair of glowing yellow eyes. 

It also had his lantern in its hand. 

The creature tilted his head, then spread its wings and flew off down the tunnels, Riku’s lantern leaving with it. 

“Hey, give that back” he shouted, and began running after it. He heard Meow Wow repeat his words behind him, but didn’t stop to see if the Babble was following. While the tunnels were lighter down here, there was no way he could possibly navigate through the darker sections without his lantern. So with his only way out in the hands of, whatever that was, all could do was follow the light and hope he could catch up. 

* * *

The first thing Sora noticed as he began to wake up was that whatever he had been asleep on was cold and uncomfortable. This didn’t seem right, as you were supposed to sleep on soft things, and there was no way that Roxas would have left him to sleep somewhere like that. 

Actually, when had he fallen asleep? 

He began to open his eyes; his vision blurred by sleep, and looked out to see a dark room, and an unfamiliar man, who smirked at him. 

“Ahhh, so you’re finally awake. It seems my sleeping powder was a little too affective” the man said, and Sora looked up at him with bleary eyes. He pushed himself up into a seated position, his body sore from what he realised was a cold stone floor. His exhaustion from earlier still clung to him, and his mind was hazy, probably from the remains of whatever sleeping powder the man was talking about. 

“What’s going on?” he asked, looking around the room he had found himself in. It was large and empty, surrounded on both sides by glassless windows that stretched from the floor to the ceiling. His eyes then went back to the man, widening in shock as he realised what he was holding. 

“My wand!” 

Sora moved to stand up, but his legs gave in halfway through. Rather than plummet back down to the floor, however, he felt something grab at his arms and haul him upright, keeping him pinned there. Sora struggled in the hold, but whoever had him was much stronger, and simply gripped him tighter. 

“Hey now, you gotta be careful kiddo. Can’t have you hurting yourself now can we?” 

The voice was familiar, and Sora turned around as best he could. 

“You” he said, the weight of the situation dawning on him as the memory of the encounter came back, “you were the one in the town. What’s going on, who are you?” he asked, turning back to the other man. 

“My name is Xehanort, boy” he answered. 

“Wait” Sora said, tilting his head in confusion, “Xehanort? As in the Kings brother Xehanort?” 

“Ah, so you know of me. I would have thought my brother would have tried to erase me from all memory”.

“But you were...” Sora began, then stopped himself, remembering there were more important issues to be addressed first. 

“What do you want with my wand?” he asked, and Xehanort smirked again. 

“Ah you see, my old means of magic recently ran out” he answered, looking down at his feet, “and I’ve been in need of a new one”. 

Sora followed Xehanort’s gaze, and looked down to see a wand discarded on the floor. 

Its brilliant silver had decayed, making it almost black, but the shape was unmistakable. 

“That’s, that’s our mother’s wand. It was you! You’re the one who took it! You’re the reason she...” 

“Yes”, Xehanort cut him off, “her fading was an unfortunate side affect, as will yours be. But they are necessary to my goals”. 

“How could you ever say something so cruel? What could possibly be worth hurting someone like that?” Sora shouted, struggling once again, not caring that it was in vain. 

Xehanort just smirked at him, seemingly unmoved by his accusations, and Sora glared back. 

“You know, people call this the Mirrored Kingdom because of the reflection it makes in the surrounding water. But most do not remember that in truth, it is named so because it is built upon the ruins of Daybreak Town, which were thrust down into darkness long ago. After my banishment, I made my home here in these ruins, where I have gathered my strength, and made my preparations. And now, with the power you will supply, my goal will be realised”. 

“What goal? What are you talking about?” 

Xehanort chuckled. 

“My plan is simple, boy. My brother made his choice, to rule over Scala Ad Caelum alone, and he may keep it. For with your power, I am going to flip our Kingdoms around, bringing my new Kingdom back into the light, and throwing Eraqus' into eternal darkness”. 

“What?!” Sora shouted, “But that’s-“

“Now all I need from you” Xehanort said, cutting him off again, “is the instructions to unlock this wands power”. 

Sora scoffed. 

“Yeah, like I’m going to help you with something like that! I would never help you with anything!” he shouted, glaring again for good measure. 

Xehanort sighed. 

“My, you’re going to be a stubborn little thing, aren’t you boy?” 

“My name is Sora”. 

“An unnecessary detail” he said, waving him off, “now, those instructions”. 

“I’ve already told you I’m not helping you. But, even if I did, don’t you know it can be dangerous for humans to use fairy magic like that?” Sora asked, hoping to appeal to the man’s sensible side. 

“Your concern is unnecessary boy. A little danger is nothing compared to what I can achieve”, Xehanort said, and Sora sighed. 

He should have known reason wouldn’t work. 

“And what do you get out of this?” Sora asked, turning as best he could to face the man holding him. 

“Me?” he replied with a smirk, “I’m just here for the ride kiddo”. 

Sora didn’t know who was worse. 

“You understand you are doomed either way” Xehanort said, bringing his attention back, “If you help me, there’s a chance you won’t fade away. But if you continue to refuse, then I shall make sure of it”. 

“If I have to fade away to stop you, then that’s fine!” 

Xehanort stood for a moment, before he crossed the gap between them, and gripped Sora’s chin, pulling it up to face him. 

“Hmm, a noble but meaningless sentiment. Defy me all you want, Sora, but I will have this wands power”. 

* * *

Riku followed the creature through winding tunnels, often having to rely on the light of the lantern to know where he was going. The fact that it had wings made the creature fast, but Riku had long enough legs to at least keep up with it, if not completely catch up to it. 

Soon the tunnels widened out, and seemed to come to an end, as he could see a ledge with an unknown drop below it. As he creature approached the ledge, Riku did the only thing he could think of and jumped, aiming to catch it by the legs and pull it down before it could disappear completely. But the creature was stronger than it looked, and instead of pulling it down, it pulled Riku up instead. Caught off guard, Riku hesitated a second too long, and the ledge disappeared from under him. Instead, he found himself suspended across a vast chasm he couldn’t see the bottom of, the only thing keeping him from falling being his grip on the creatures legs. 

In the centre of the chasm, there seemed to be a large structure hanging down that looked like an upside-down tower of some sort. So he clung on for dear life praying that, whatever this thing was; it was heading towards that tower. It seemed he still had some luck, as that did indeed seem to be its intended destination. As he got closer to the towers ledge, Riku prepared to jump, wanting off this ride before it took him any higher. As soon as the ground was beneath him he let go, putting his hands out in front of him, and somehow managing to break his fall with a clumsy forward role. 

“Riku?” 

Riku looked up. There were three people in the room in front of him, but he only cared about one. 

“Sora?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I’m really sorry this chapter took so long to get finished!!! But I hope you enjoy it!
> 
> Initially I wondered whether to just skip the bit from the original where the mice perform the story and just have Mickey tell it, but the thought of having Donald and Goofy play Xehanort and Eraqus was to fun to leave out. And the Sora and Xehanort scene was so much fun to write!!
> 
> Thanks again for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, and welcome to my first attempt at posting fanfiction! I've never really been confident enough to post anything before now, but I've finally decided to give it a go!
> 
> I loved the cartoon movie _The King’s Beard_ (2002) when I was younger, and somehow that and my love for kingdom hearts has resulted in this. I'm not entirely sure what I'm doing, but I hope you can enjoy this very self-indulgent AU!


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